


I'm still waiting

by jenjen92



Category: Free!
Genre: Friendship, M/M, Middle School, Pining, Rin in Australia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-30
Updated: 2015-12-30
Packaged: 2018-05-10 12:50:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5586103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jenjen92/pseuds/jenjen92
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Rin moved to Australia Haru had not heard anything from him. Not even one letter. While wondering how Rin is doing abroad Haru waits for the post each day, hoping that one day Rin would be thinking of him the same way he did.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'm still waiting

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Misila](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Misila/gifts).



 

Haru watched the post arrive as he always does on a Saturday when he was not at middle school. The letters landed on his entrance floor with a quiet thud. Darting his eyes around him to make sure his grandmother was not watching, he ran to the post and quickly flicked through the envelopes. Nothing. With a deep sigh Haru carefully set the letters back down and decided to take a bath. He needed something to distract him from his thoughts.

The following Monday, after he had said goodbye to Makoto on the steps near their homes, Haru made a beeline to the kitchen table the moment he strode through the door. A neat pile of letters rested there and he could not get to them fast enough. Picking them up he once again began to examine the envelopes.

“Haruka, welcome home!”

The kind, frail voice of his grandmother startled Haru, who without thinking dropped the letters he was holding so that they scattered across the table.

“Were you expecting anything through the post Haruka?” She asked, peering over at the table, “there was nothing for you today.”

“I wasn’t particularly looking for anything,” Haru lied, “just interested.”

“Mm, okay.” She said with a small small, “is mackerel alright for dinner?”

~

Haru had got into a bad habit of jumping every time the phone rang. His heart started racing in his chest with every ring, legs frozen to the spot. He never went for the phone himself, unless he was the only one home and he wasn’t in the bath. Haru always waited for his grandmother to answer with hitched breath, trying not to get his hopes up but at the same time failing miserably not to. This time was no different. He watched his grandmother totter over to the phone on the other side of the room as he sat on the tatami mat eating his dinner. She put the receiver to her ear, a wide smile on her face, as she said a few words and held the phone out towards him.

“Haruka, it’s for you!”

His heart stopped.

With such speed that Haru did not know he possessed out of the pool he raced to the phone, trying not to snatch it out of his grandmother’s waiting hands.

“Hi.”

“Haruka! How have you been? We have been missing you here.”

It was his mother. The realisation hit him like a tonne of rocks, and even he knew he could not mask the disappointment on his face.

It had been two months now. Two whole long, boring months since Rin had gone to Australia for middle school to pursue his dream. Two months that a whole had been left somewhere inside Haru where he once was. As much time as he spent with Makoto, as much time as his best friend tried to fill it in, they could not. It was a special place where only the shark-tooth boy with the sunny smile fitted, although Haru himself was not sure why.

How was Australia? Haru found himself wondering again one evening before he tried to sleep. Did it meat Rin’s expectations? Was his English getting him by? Did he find something over there that Haru could not give him, some new challenge? Why wasn’t he good enough? If he was, Rin would not have needed to go to Australia, right? Haru tried to shake those thoughts as he pulled his warm blanket over his body and buried his head into his pillow. It had only been two months. That was no time at all, really. Rin would send a letter soon, or call. Haru closed his eyes and tried to let sleep take him. There was only one thought left in his mind as he began to drift off. That Haru missed him.

~

“Haruka sweetheart, would you like to talk with me for a moment?” Haru’s grandmother asked in a friendly, upbeat manner, gesturing to her side as he was once again caught red handed searching through the post one grey afternoon after school. Without a word Haru went to sit by her side, eyes fixated on the floor.

“You know Haruka, it costs a lot of money to call Japan from Australia.”

Haru’s sea-blue eyes widened with his grandmother’s words. _How did she know?_

“It takes time too, to write a good letter. Especially when you have just settled into a new place and everything is strange and overwhelming for you.” She continued, noticing the expression on her grandson’s face, “Your friend Rin will contact you soon, Haruka. Do not worry. I am sure he misses you too very much.”

“I don’t miss Rin.” Haru said automatically, knowing that his grandmother would know that it was a lie as much as he did.

“Okay.” She said with a knowing smile, “why don’t you send him a letter first? I am sure he would appreciate it. You can get Makoto to help you, too.”

“Too much effort. He doesn’t need me anyway.” Haru did not mean to blurt that out, for once his mouth not filtering his thoughts away.

“Oh I am sure that is not true Haruka.” His grandmother said firmly, patting him on the shoulder, “I am sure that if he could have done, Rin would have taken you to Australia with him.”

Haru raised his eyebrow at that, causing his grandmother to chuckle slightly.

“I saw you both swimming together. I saw the way he looked at you. I know these things.”

“Maybe….”Haru said slowly, not exactly understanding what his grandmother meant by ‘things’. He instead tried to picture himself in Australia. He did not really know what Australia was like. Hot, probably. Lots of places he could swim which was undoubtedly a good thing. Australia probably suited Rin with his cheerful personality that anyone would like, his sweet smile and his unrivalled energy and passion _._ Haru could not picture himself ever going to Australia, but Rin belonged there. At least in his head anyway. He just wished he could have that Rin _back._

“I don’t suit Australia. I will wait for Rin to contact me.” Haru decided and his grandmother nodded in approval.

“I’m going to make dinner; you can take a bath first.”

As she went to the kitchen Haru let out a deep sigh. Tomorrow was Saturday. Good. He could watch out for the post.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy the story Misila!  
> I apologise for it being quite short, but I hope it fits what you wanted :)  
> Happy new year!


End file.
